I am hoping to trigger an AppleScript to detect the dialog window when I press ⌃ + Space
This is what Winfo.app to detect the dialog winowID:
Thanks to @ccstone for providing links to this useful tool!
My AppleScript knowledge is rather basic, so this is my futile attempt:
tell application "Typinator"
if windowID of front window is "9667" then set rule set "Todoist.app Projects" to enabled
end tell
This is an example from Typinitor guide to pause expansions:
tell application "Typinator"
if exists rule set "Scripting" then
if enabled of rule set "Scripting" then
expand string "scx"
pause expansions
end if
end if
end tell
Hey there! The way that is written is telling Typinator to look for a Typinator window with that ID number.
I don't have the Todoist app so I am rather limited in how much I can help, but you my first question is how are you triggering the Todoist "Quick Entry" dialog window? I ask because if you're using a hotkey, then you could likely trigger it via AppleScript using system events, and then right after that enable your Typinator set(s).
tell application "System Events"
tell application process "Todoist"
key code 49 using {control down}
end tell
end tell
tell application "Typinator"
set enabled of rule set "Todoist.app Projects" to true
end tell
Basically that uses System Events to simulate that same hotkey combination, sending it to the Todoist app (which theoretically would trigger your dialog window), and then the next section enables your Typinator set.
Let me know if that works for you or not and we can go from there.
Thanks, that works like a charm! Any idea on how to get the Typinator set to deactivate when the dialog window is gone?
Basically I want the abbreviations set to be active only for Todoist.app and for the "Quick Entry" dialog window, which are not considered to be the same thing by KM or the system in general.
Great! To deactivate the Typinator set when the dialog window is gone try the AppleScript below. It should theoretically wait until the window disappears and then disable the set. I can't guarantee it will work because I don't know exactly what kind of window the Todoist dialog window is... but I imagine it will have an AXSystemDialog subrole. Try it out and let me know if it works or not.
--sends shortcut to activate Todoist Quick Entry
tell application "System Events"
tell application process "Todoist"
key code 49 using {control down}
end tell
end tell
--enable Typinator set
tell application "Typinator"
set enabled of rule set "Todoist.app Projects" to true
end tell
--pause until Todoist Quick Entry window disappears
tell application "System Events"
tell application process "Todoist"
repeat until not (exists (first window whose subrole is "AXSystemDialog"))
delay 0.1
end repeat
end tell
end tell
--disable Typinator set
tell application "Typinator"
set enabled of rule set "Todoist.app Projects" to false
end tell
Looks fantastic, although is not working at the moment.
Here is a UI Browser report on the Todoist "Quick Entry" window:
***PATH:***
application "Todoist"
system dialog "Todoist" (window 1)
***ACTIONS:***
raise
***ATTRIBUTES (long values are truncated to 60 characters):***
activation point
*type:* point
*value:* {1410, 226} x, y
*modifiable:* no
cancel button
*type:* (null)
*value:* (null)
*modifiable:* no
children
*type:* array
*value:* (array of 0 items)
*modifiable:* no
children in navigation order
*type:* array
*value:* (array of 0 items)
*modifiable:* no
close button
*type:* UIElement
*value:* close button
*modifiable:* no
default button
*type:* (null)
*value:* (null)
*modifiable:* no
document
*type:* (null)
*value:* (null)
*modifiable:* no
keyboard focused
*type:* Boolean
*value:* false
*modifiable:* no
frame
*type:* rect
*value:* {{1400, 212}, {640, 668}} x, y, width, height
*modifiable:* no
full screen
*type:* Boolean
*value:* false
*modifiable:* no
full screen button
*type:* (null)
*value:* (null)
*modifiable:* no
grow area
*type:* (null)
*value:* (null)
*modifiable:* no
main
*type:* Boolean
*value:* true
*modifiable:* yes
minimize button
*type:* UIElement
*value:* minimize button
*modifiable:* no
minimized
*type:* Boolean
*value:* false
*modifiable:* no
modal
*type:* Boolean
*value:* false
*modifiable:* no
parent
*type:* UIElement
*value:* application "Todoist"
*modifiable:* no
position
*type:* point
*value:* {1400, 212} x, y
*modifiable:* yes
proxy
*type:* (null)
*value:* (null)
*modifiable:* no
AXReplaceRangeWithText
*type:* (null)
*value:* (null)
*modifiable:* parameterized
role
*type:* string
*value:* AXWindow
*modifiable:* no
type
*type:* string
*value:* "system dialog"
*modifiable:* no
sections
*type:* array
*value:* (array of 0 items)
*modifiable:* yes
size
*type:* size
*value:* {640, 668} width, height
*modifiable:* no
subrole
*type:* string
*value:* system dialog
*modifiable:* no
title
*type:* string
*value:* "Todoist"
*modifiable:* no
title UIelement
*type:* (null)
*value:* (null)
*modifiable:* no
toolbar button
*type:* (null)
*value:* (null)
*modifiable:* no
zoom button
*type:* UIElement
*value:* zoom button
*modifiable:* no
***NOTIFICATIONS:***
announcement requested
created
drawer created
element busy state changed
focused UI element changed
focused window changed
help tag created
layout changed
main window changed
moved
resized
row collapsed
row count changed
row expanded
selected cells changed
selected children changed
selected children moved
selected columns changed
selected rows changed
selected text changed
sheet created
title changed
UI element destroyed
units changed
value changed
window deminiaturized
window miniaturized
window moved
window resized
This is very helpful, I didn’t realize before you had UI Browser otherwise I would have asked you to do something for me from the beginning haha. Replace the third section in the AppleScript with what I have below and try it again. If it still doesn’t work, let me know because UI Browser has a way to get even more information on that window that will tell us very clearly how to interact with it.
--pause until Todoist Quick Entry window disappears
tell application "System Events"
tell application process "Todoist"
repeat until not (exists window 1) --THIS LINE HAS BEEN MODIFIED
delay 0.1
end repeat
end tell
end tell
Thanks so much for your help, this macro is sorely needed! The script update didn't seem to help unfortunately
This is the overall script as pasted in KM:
Script
--sends shortcut to activate Todoist Quick Entry
tell application "System Events"
tell application process "Todoist"
key code 49 using {control down}
end tell
end tell
--enable Typinator set
tell application "Typinator"
set enabled of rule set "Todoist.app Projects" to true
end tell
--pause until Todoist Quick Entry window disappears
tell application "System Events"
tell application process "Todoist"
repeat until not (exists window 1) --THIS LINE HAS BEEN MODIFIED
delay 0.1
end repeat
end tell
end tell
--disable Typinator set
tell application "Typinator"
set enabled of rule set "Todoist.app Projects" to false
end tell
I tried extracting the hotkey AppleScript action and make it a KM hotkey action, but it didn't work:
That's because the KM action is not sending the hotkey to Todoist like the AppleScript does. There is a way to do this, but this is not really the problem here.
Do this for me:
1. Open UI Browser and click the Switch to Screen Reader button. (click to expand/collapse screenshot)
2. The following window will appear showing information about the app underneath your cursor, move your cursor over the Todoist window. (click to expand/collapse screenshot)
3. Hit the hotkey indicated in the red outlined portion (your hotkey may be different than mine) to jump to that portion of the app in UI Browser's main window. (click to expand/collapse screenshot)
By the way, extracting the hotkey from the script and making it a KM action successfully calls the dialog window. Is only the text expansion that does not work. Typing in the window is al messed up, huge delay or no input response at all. Which is similar to what happens with the AppleScript alone.
My pleasure! I enjoy troubleshooting things even though I'm not always very good at it.
Something very strange is going on... because there's no reason you should be getting multiple display dialogs appearing... see my screen recording to see the same script used with Notes, only one display dialog.
Ok so this has me irritated enough that I downloaded the app to figure out what is going on. Try this updated script below and report back. On my system, it works just as I expect it to. The AppleScript runs until the Quick Entry window appears, shows a notification from Control Center (much less disruptive than display dialogs), then waits until that window disappears and shows another notification. Theoretically I could add in the Typinator portions now too, but I want to see if this works on your end before I do that.
Note that for whatever reason Todoist would not allow me to set ⌃Space as the hotkey so I set it to a different hotkey for testing: ControlOptionCommandShiftl+ (the plus being the one next to the delete key).
Sreen Recording (click to expand/collapse)
AppleScript (click to expand/collapse)
tell application "System Events"
tell application process "Todoist"
--sends hotkey shortcut directly to Todoist (using the + symbol next to the delete key)
key code 24 using {control down, option down, command down, shift down}
--pauses until window appears
repeat until exists (first window whose subrole is "AXSystemDialog")
delay 0.1
end repeat
--display notification that the window appeared
display notification "Todoist AXSystemDialog Window Exists"
--pauses until window disappears
repeat until not (exists (first window whose subrole is "AXSystemDialog"))
delay 0.1
end repeat
--display notification that the window disappeared
display notification "Todoist AXSystemDialog Window Does Not Exist"
end tell
end tell
UPDATE: I just added in some Typinator script to enable/disable one of my sets and the AppleScript works great for me. Hopefully it works for you too!
It's working. I can't even explain how grateful I am for your help. I've been wanting to do this for years!
Complete AppleScript:
tell application "System Events"
tell application process "Todoist"
--pauses until window appears
repeat until exists (first window whose subrole is "AXSystemDialog")
delay 0.1
end repeat
--display notification that the window appeared
display notification "Todoist AXSystemDialog Window Exists"
--enable Typinator set
tell application "Typinator"
set enabled of rule set "Todoist.app Projects" to true
set enabled of rule set "Todoist.app @Tags" to true
set enabled of rule set "Todoist.app Text" to true
set enabled of rule set "Todoist.app Word Sets" to true
end tell
--pauses until window disappears
repeat until not (exists (first window whose subrole is "AXSystemDialog"))
delay 0.1
end repeat
--disable Typinator set
tell application "Typinator"
set enabled of rule set "Todoist.app Projects" to false
set enabled of rule set "Todoist.app @Tags" to false
set enabled of rule set "Todoist.app Text" to false
set enabled of rule set "Todoist.app Word Sets" to false
end tell
--display notification that the window disappeared
display notification "Todoist AXSystemDialog Window Does Not Exist"
end tell
end tell
I'll play around with including the other sets, but I am confident they'll work as well.
UPDATE: It all works. I managed to find the exception: it does not work if Typinator editor windows is active.
Glad it appears to be working for the most part and glad to have helped!
Just out of curiosity, what doesn’t work when the Typinator window is active? The video appears to show things when they are working so I just want to make sure i'm not missing something...
My example was just to show that everything is working.
The only exception is if you try to call Todoist "quick entry" window when Typinator settings window is active. In that case Typinator was not active, Finder was.
Hmmm... which part fails exactly? Because the AppleScript is not dependent on which application is or is not frontmost. So the issue might rather be with the way the Todoist window is being activated.
I believe it’s because Typinator sets are not active in Typinator itself. Typinator thinks it’s still active when the Todoist dialog appears, so it does not expand the text.
A workaround could be to tell KM to activate Finder when pressing CTRL+SPACE if Typinator is at the front.
